Latest news with #gasextraction
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Germany backs cross-border gas agreement with Netherlands
BERLIN (Reuters) -Germany's cabinet on Wednesday gave its backing to a deal with the Netherlands to support gas extraction from a cross-border reservoir in the North Sea, the economy ministry said, as Berlin seeks to boost domestic gas production. Following the turmoil of the Ukraine war and Germany's decision to halt Russian imports, the government has focused on finding alternatives, including trying to increase domestic gas exploration and extraction. Natural gas production in Germany has been declining for decades. At around 4.8 billion cubic meters in 2022, it accounted for only 5.5% of Germany's annual use. Dutch energy company One-Dyas, which is leading the project, estimates it will be able to extract between 4.5 and 13 billion cubic meters of gas from the "N05-A" field over several years. This would represent roughly 6% to 16% of the approximately 80 billion cubic meters consumed by Germany in 2024. For extraction to happen, several layers of approval are needed in Germany and it is unclear how long that would take. The Dutch authorities have already agreed the necessary legislation. The outline agreement backed on Wednesday in Germany lays out how the cross-border gas reserves will be assessed and divided, as well as taxes and royalties and cooperation between authorities in the two countries. The western state of Lower Saxony, where the fields are located on the German side, will make its own decisions on whether to approve specific applications for gas production, the ministry said, adding the agreement does not grant production permission. The project was put on hold under the previous Green-led economy ministry and faces legal challenges by environmental groups that say it poses risks to the UNESCO Wadden Sea World Heritage Site. "The German government is handing Borkum and the Wadden Sea over to fossil fuel industrialisation," Sascha Mueller-Kraenner, DUH environmental group director, said, adding that this would have devastating consequences for biodiversity in the North Sea. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
ABC News
20-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
National Native Title Tribunal ruling on Narrabri Gas Project devastates elder
A decision by the National Native Title Tribunal to allow the New South Wales government to lease land to Santos for gas extraction has left a traditional landowner "devastated". The tribunal was asked to decide whether the leases, which mostly overlap with a significant Gomeroi cultural area, the Pilliga, should be allowed. The NSW Independent Planning Commission (IPC) approved the $3.6 billion Narrabri Gas Project for up to 850 gas wells in 2020. In its decision handed down on Monday, the tribunal said, weighing the public interest evidence and concerns of the Gomeroi people, they believed the Narrabri Gas Project offered a "net public benefit". Gomeroi woman and native title applicant Polly Cutmore said the decision was upsetting. "I am very upset, but it doesn't surprise me," she said. The tribunal decision was not the only remaining hurdle for the Narrabri Gas Project, but it has been a protracted issue. In December 2022, the tribunal decided the leases could be allowed, subject to conditions. In March 2024, the Federal Court unanimously rejected the Gomeroi people's five grounds of appeal relating to good faith. But the appeal was allowed on one ground; two of the three Federal Court Justices found the tribunal erred in its limited consideration of environmental concerns. Chief Justice Debra Mortimer said in the 2024 ruling the Gomeroi people "were deprived of the possibility of a successful outcome by reason of the tribunal's errors". Traditional owners called the decision groundbreaking for their people and the fight against climate change. Meanwhile, Santos indicated they would continue mediation to reach a mutually beneficial outcome for both parties. Ms Cutmore said her people would continue to fight to protect their country. Ms Cutmore said when she was first made aware of the project almost a decade ago, she was concerned about Santos's plan to extract gas from the Great Artesian Basin. "The people from the Namoi, who rely on the water system, all the way through to the Murray Darling Basin, it's going to be devastating for the country, the land," she said. "It's going to be devastating for our people. "We took everything into consideration what Santos offered us at the (National) Native Title Tribunal table, we said no. "We are here because of our ancestors, they fought and we will continue to fight. "We are still here and we will continue to fight, we love our country." Santos's proposal for the Narrabri Lateral Pipeline, a 30-kilometre pipeline to connect the Narrabri Gas Project to the Hunter Gas Pipeline, is still being assessed by the federal government. Before the IPC's approval of the Narrabri Gas Project, the state government received almost 23,000 public objections and the Mullalley Gas and Pipeline Accord later unsuccessfully challenged the approval in court. Santos will need to comply with strict conditions to proceed with the project. Santos has been approached for comment.
